Tennis: All Purpose Tennis Thread iX

Status
Not open for further replies.

Loosie

The Eternal Optimist
Jun 14, 2011
16,074
3,046
Kitchener, Ontario
Raonic, Dimitrov and Nishikori all received wild cards into Washington. Which means the 500 event goes from 1 top 10 player (Thiem) to 4 top 10 players.
 

kihei

McEnroe: The older I get, the better I used to be.
Jun 14, 2006
42,536
10,132
Toronto
Just ran across this line on someone's Twitter page: "The only person in history better on grass than Federer is Bob Marley."
 

Cruor

Registered User
May 12, 2012
799
94
Just ran across this line on someone's Twitter page: "The only person in history better on grass than Federer is Bob Marley."

Good one. Any predictions for the US Open? Murray and Djokovic are both hobbled and maybe even unlikely to play. Some have said that Federer breaking Sampras Wimbledon record will make him care less and perhaps bow out in the early rounds. I think it's the opposite, he must be completely relaxed now with nothing left to prove. That makes him all the more dangerous (health willing).
 

kihei

McEnroe: The older I get, the better I used to be.
Jun 14, 2006
42,536
10,132
Toronto
Good one. Any predictions for the US Open? Murray and Djokovic are both hobbled and maybe even unlikely to play. Some have said that Federer breaking Sampras Wimbledon record will make him care less and perhaps bow out in the early rounds. I think it's the opposite, he must be completely relaxed now with nothing left to prove. That makes him all the more dangerous (health willing).
A well-rested Thiem would be a relatively new thing. If that is the case, I like his chances. If not, I think it would be cool to see Rafa and Roger split the Slams of 2017.
 

Tuggy

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Nov 26, 2003
48,623
14,852
Saint John
Shapovalov into the SF at the CH in Gatineau. This win could move the 18 year old into the top 150.
 

kihei

McEnroe: The older I get, the better I used to be.
Jun 14, 2006
42,536
10,132
Toronto
Kontaveit makes the finals in Gstaad. Another step in the right direction.
 

kihei

McEnroe: The older I get, the better I used to be.
Jun 14, 2006
42,536
10,132
Toronto
The NY Times recently had a critical (not necessarily negative) piece on Novak, this was before the Wimbledon final. It captures some of my own apprehensions with Novak:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/14/opinion/wimbledon-whats-the-deal-with-novak-djokovic.html
I don't know what that article amounts to, though, other than unfocused speculation on the author's part. The penultimate paragraph seems mostly drivel:

I wonder what this has been like for him. For a player as tensely strung as Djokovic, as eager to be admired, it must have been excruciating to find himself at the center of an amorphous scandal. Other players publish memoirs; Djokovic published a diet and lifestyle book. He is someone who wants less to be known than to be right. This helps to explain the shifting personas: He needs to be seen by the cameras, but he wants them to catch him from a certain angle, in a certain light.
What exactly is this amorphous scandal? Is that something that the British tabloids dreamed up that this writer now gives credence to by parroting their description? Everybody, not just tennis players, want to be viewed "from a certain angle." Big deal. This sportswriter is no closer to understanding Djokovic than he was before he started. He is just filling up space to meet a deadline which, of course, doesn't stop him from speculating from his rather jaundiced point of view about Nole.
 

Tuggy

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Nov 26, 2003
48,623
14,852
Saint John


He would almost certainly win the tournament thanks to a very weak field. But probably a smart decision to take the time off.
 

Tuggy

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Nov 26, 2003
48,623
14,852
Saint John
Apparently Djokovic is going hold a press conference this week to make some kind of announcement.

This could be anything but my guess would be he's taking an extended break to heal up.

Of course there are people speculating retirement, but I don't believe that.
 

Tuggy

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Nov 26, 2003
48,623
14,852
Saint John
Potential breakthrough win for 19 year old Rublev today. He won the 250 event in Umag as a LL. Moves into the top 50.
 

Cruor

Registered User
May 12, 2012
799
94
I don't know what that article amounts to, though, other than unfocused speculation on the author's part. The penultimate paragraph seems mostly drivel.

Fair enough, it's an opinion piece. Although I don't think it's too different from other variations on tennis journalism, such as The New Yorker's lengthy piece on Novak a few years back (The Third Man In, which IIRC you liked).

What exactly is this amorphous scandal? Is that something that the British tabloids dreamed up that this writer now gives credence to by parroting their description? Everybody, not just tennis players, want to be viewed "from a certain angle." Big deal. This sportswriter is no closer to understanding Djokovic than he was before he started. He is just filling up space to meet a deadline which, of course, doesn't stop him from speculating from his rather jaundiced point of view about Nole.

Who knows, I think it's Novak's private business and no one else's concern. With that said I think the piece (Column? English is not my primary language) was interesting in that it echoes several criticisms of Novak that many tennis fans seem to have, namely:

1. Good sportsman when losing, bad when winning (pretty rare combo). When winning he is always extremely humble, when winning you have the shirt ripping, the chest beating, the roars. Contrast this to Federer who often times comes across as salty in defeat, and very humble in winning (when did you see him storm the stands to high five and hug after a win?)

2. An urge to be liked by the crowd that seems counter productive, you know the roars when he is down and hits a good shot? Or the waving of the arms begging for applause? Sometimes I think he would be better off without showing that desire and just to play and let the crowd decide on what they like.

3. The difference in behaviour, all smiles when on top of the world. Screaming at ball kids when down in a match. :help:

I guess you could write it off as my own biases against Novak, but for whatever reason I never warmed to him. Anyway, just wanted to share it. Cheers.
 

Hadoop

Registered User
Aug 13, 2002
5,601
626
Mississauga
Counterpoint in support of Novak. If you watch youtube videos of various off-the court interactions, he is by far the most jovial, fun-loving member of the big-four. This guy really does have an extroverted personality and IMO he's been hard-done by in terms of marketing potential and fan support because not only is he not quite at of level of Roger and Rafa in terms of accomplishments, his game pales to them as well not in terms of effectiveness, but rather in terms of stirring the imaginations of the tennis faithful.
 

kihei

McEnroe: The older I get, the better I used to be.
Jun 14, 2006
42,536
10,132
Toronto
I'll reiterate what I have said before. Of the Big Four, Nole has always been the one who I have thought most able and most likely to walk away from it all. I don't think his announcement is a retirement announcement, and I would be surprised if it is. But it wouldn't flabbergast me. He just has never seemed to me as passionate about the game as the other three. That's not a knock as he has made himself into a great player, but tennis just doesn't seem as important to him as it does to the others.
 

Cruor

Registered User
May 12, 2012
799
94
I'll reiterate what I have said before. Of the Big Four, Nole has always been the one who I have thought most able and most likely to walk away from it all. I don't think his announcement is a retirement announcement, and I would be surprised if it is. But it wouldn't flabbergast me. He just has never seemed to me as passionate about the game as the other three. That's not a knock as he has made himself into a great player, but tennis just doesn't seem as important to him as it does to the others.

Nadal & Federer have made pro-tennis a way of life, that's true. But I'm not sure that's a fair categorization of Novak. He's stuck around for plenty of time, early on he was the skilled youngster that failed to deliver (histronics and MTO's). Then he got it all together and took it to Nadal & Federer, for several years.

I do think he preferred the chasing role though, I think it's always easier to be the underdog than the No 1 everyone expects to win. Somewhere along the way I get the feeling he lost the drive (coupled with wear & tear).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->